The Fossil Ridge High School baseball team is off to a 7-6 start. They began preparing for the season starting in January at Choice Baseball Facility where they did weight training and batting practice as well as other drills. Heading into the season, their goal was to, “win conference, and go far in the state tournament,” junior Ben Carmack said.

Carmack has been on the team for three years and like his other teammates, have gained a lot of experience from former seniors, “Most us juniors fill the void that the seniors left,” Carmack said. “[We made a goal to] come together as a team.” According to Carmack, the due to the experience of a lot of the players, “the team knows what it takes to win and how the team goes before the individual.”

Although the team is only one game over .500, they still have high expectations for the rest of the season and the playoffs, “our defense and hitting are hot, but we have to stay consistent and work as a team.” said Carmack. “We have the talent to go all the way.” Although they are led by future collegiate player, Senior Payton Tapia, the team relies heavily on the production from the team as a whole. “I just want to help the team as much as I can,” Junior Trevor Butters said. “It’s not about my stats or how well I do personally, as long as the team is successful.”

While their hitting and defense has been consistent, their pitching has been the one thing that has been holding them back. Their team ERA is 6.03 and they have given up 68 runs as a team in 13 games this season. “We have good pitchers but we need to work on keeping our composure and staying focused,” Junior Mitch Simmons said. According to Simmons, once the team gets their pitching on par with their hitting, the team can “prepare for a long run in the playoff tournament.”

The team’s next game is on April 19, against 6-8 Boulder High School.